Midnight Black
by Rexhunter
Summary: Friendship, family bonds and morales will be tested as Maximus and his partner Totodile search for Maximus's missing older brother. They are in for more than they expected though...
1. Chapter 1: Discoveries

_Alone we are but a single drop of water in a vast ocean… But together we are a monsoon._

**Chapter 1: Discoveries**

The maples leaves gently rustled in the southerly wind. An energetic teen peered out the window of the log cabin that separated the main path from the forest beyond.  
The young teen turned and faced the warden a defiant gleam in his eyes; he looked at the warden, half expecting the small man to tackle him.

"I'm terribly sorry young sir, but this forest is no longer safe, even for registered Pokémon trainers." The warden muttered, pushing his graying hair out of his eyes.  
"Terribly sorry, my foot. Two kids went in there and have disappeared, that's why no one can pass, isn't it old man?" Maximus snapped, his fists clenched tightly. A silence followed the last remark.

"Yes." The warden started, "But it's for everyone else's safety!"  
"Bull, you're just scared that you overlooked something and would look stupid if someone else found something." Maximus retorted.

The warden got up and walked over to the window and stood next to Maximus, he looked into the youth's eyes, observing the way they stared back defiantly and sighed.  
"I suppose you will go whether I try to stop you or not then?" he said defeated.  
Maximus paused; he hadn't expected to win the argument so easily.

Maximus turned and once more peered through the window. "Yes." He answered flatly.  
The young trainer turned and headed towards the door, without looking back.

The warden watched Maximus go through the door and onto the forest track, his gaze shifted onto the wall on the other side of the room and rested on a picture of a Pokémon trainer who went missing several years ago. The youth resembled the trainer in almost everyway.  
"Then I hope you find the answers that you are truly after." The warden said quietly before walking towards the lounge.

_There are things in life that man takes for granted, he waits each night for the sun to rise into the sky again…_

"Max!"  
"Yes big-brother?" A younger Maximus said as he skidded to a halt at his older brothers feet.  
"I wanted to tell you something before I left." Trent said, looking down at his younger brother with pride. He brought himself down to eye level with his brother.

"You know why I have to leave don't you?" He asked Maximus.  
"Yes, you need to help the professor with her important research!" Maximus said smartly.  
Trent smiled.  
"That's right, I'm looking for a special stone, that will help the professor find out more about Pokémon that lived a long time ago." He said.  
Maximus's smile faded. "Why are you telling me big-brother?" He asked.

Trent sighed, he grabbed Maximus's hands and held them tightly. "Because it may take a long time for me to find the stone, in fact I might not ever find the stone…" he trailed off.  
"Anyway, Father and I agreed that when you are 10 years old you can start on your own adventure with Pokémon, the professor would give you a Pokémon, she even told me that!" Trent exclaimed as happily as he could.

"Really! My own Pokémon?" Maximus cried out excitedly.  
"Yes, your very own Pokémon partner." Trent replied before standing up again. "Just promise me that you will look after Father for me, while I'm gone."  
"Yes, big-brother I'll look after daddy!" Maximus promised.  
"Good." Trent turned and started towards the door, he turned around at the door and took one last look at his brother before walking outside and leaving his world behind.

_Winning through sacrifice is not true victory…_

Maximus unclipped his only Pokéball from his belt as he followed the beaten path.  
"Well Totodile, we're here. Nine years I had to wait for this. Nine whole years…" he trailed off. He pushed the button on the ball that released the Pokémon within.

A red light emitted from the ball as a small blue Pokémon materialized before the young trainer, his partner Pokémon, the one he had received from Professor Elton. It stretched its arms and tail, and yawned.  
Her deep green eyes darted around, scanning the immediate area for signs of a threat, then happy with what she had seen, she looked up at her trainer.  
"Sorry about that Totodile, the warden might have used you to stop me from getting in here." Maximus explained.

"Diiille!" She answered, her sharp teeth glittering in the sunlight.  
"It's good to know you're fine with it. Now we need to look for a sign of those kids like I promised their Mother." Maximus said gazing at the trees around him.

They walked further on, leaving the path and continuing through the trees.  
Maximus was confident that his Navi'gear would be able to lead him back to the path, still he decided to take a mental note of anything that might help him find his way back.  
They continued on for what seemed like half an hour and just as Maximus was starting to get a little tired of the scenery, they came upon a sparkling lake surrounded by willows and various species of Pokémon.

"The kids may have stopped here to rest, its cool here and their water Pokémon would be able to swim in the water." Maximus thought aloud. He walked around the pond twice, trying not to disturb the wild Pokémon before deciding to let Totodile search the lake herself.  
"Okay Totodile, remember that you have to come back up as soon as you find anything." He told her.

Totodile jumped into the water after resurfacing she took a lung full of air and dived below the surface once more. For a moment the young trainer had a sudden urge to jump in and pull her out, but restrained himself.  
Maximus lowered himself to the ground, taking in the sight before him. All kinds of Pokémon ranging from the tenacious Poochyena to even the cheeky Aipom, were coming to the banks of the lake to drink, they were wary of the young boy but he left them alone.

Totodile burst through the surface of the water shrieking.  
"Totodile!" Maximus cried out as he jumped up from the bank and rushed out into the water, he waded straight towards Totodile who was holding something in her hand.  
Totodile released the object into his outstretched hand and then swam back for shore. Maximus waded back out, turning the small object over again and again.  
He pulled a photo of the twins out of his backpack, their Mother had given it to him after he told her he was going into the forest. He noticed the same object, a pendant, hung around the children's necks, identical except for the fact that they shone different colours in different angles of light.

After stowing the pendant in his smallest backpack pocket, Maximus and Totodile searched as much of the surroinding forest as they could before it was too dark to see even their own noses in front of them.  
"We'll sleep for tonight, then at first light start searching again." Maximus declared, more to himself than to Totodile. He pulled the sleeping bag from his backpack and spread it out on the forest floor, he pulled his outer shirt off, and slid into the sleeping bag, he made room for Totodile who promptly curled up on the pillow and fell asleep.

That night, Maximus struggled with his fears, deep in his dreams.  
It was the same dream every night. How, when he would find his long lost brother, he would lose him once again to a dark figure he could never quite make out.

He struggled, desperately wanting to see the face of this being, even though he was terrified of what it may be, he still wanted to know. But as always he awoke from the dream, dazed and drenched in a cold sweat.  
He punched the ground viciously, causing his knuckles to bruise. He muttered a curse and then calmed himself, not wanting to disturb his partner who was snoring loudly.  
His brother, was the thing that kept him going. His purpose, he had decided, was to find out what happened to him, and if he could, bring him home.

He had spent the entire year before becoming an official Pokémon trainer, researching the mysterious stones, known as the Mutation Stones. A rare stone that was said to be the size of a Pidgey's egg, a stark white with swirling colours upon its surface.  
He remembered marveling at the power people believed the stones possessed, a being that touches the stone would have wondrous things happen to them, sometimes the effect would not be desired or would lead to a life of tragic pain but for others it would solve all of their problems and gave them a new chance at life.

He lowered himself back onto the ground; he closed his eyes and finally slept…

Morning gives hope to those that need it most…

"Totodiiile!"  
The trainer groaned, still groggy from not having enough sleep but nevertheless rose from the ground. He looked lovingly at his little partner who was searching the backpack for food.  
He finally pulled himself out of the sleeping bag and helped the small Pokémon, protruding some bread and Jam. He spread the Jam over a slice of bread and tore the slice in half, offering one half to Totodile.  
He gazed at the sky, and the brilliant colours that were painted across it. He absorbed its warm glow and wished that it would never end, even though he knew that it would have to at some stage.

Maximus swallowed the last bite of his breakfast and packed up shop, he pulled on his outer shirt and checked his Navi'gear. It showed his current location on a map of the area, and with that he worked out that he should head to his left, or to the east, this would lead him to a track that looked as though it had not been used in many years…

The pounding of feet on the dry forest floor.  
He could here it even from up in his tree.  
He had never really taken any interest in humans before. But this was a different case, the sound was different… softer and every second time came earlier than the first.  
He swung himself down from his perch, landing in front of two human children.

"Ahhh!" the boy cried more out of shock than fear; he quickly recovered and stepped in front of the young girl accompanying him.  
"What are we going to do? Marill can't fight, he's hurt badly!" the girl sobbed collapsing to the ground.  
"Starly will knock the Grovyle out!" the boy answered with more courage than he felt. "Then we can escape."  
"What about those scary men Jason? They might catch us here… I just want to go home." his sister sobbed in despair.

Jason reached for his only Pokéball, the sun reflecting off of the clean surface as he pressed the small button, the small ball grew to a size that he could barely hold.  
Just then the Grovyle stepped aside, it turned its head in the direction the children had been running as if to say that they could leave.

Jason couldn't believe it, he turned and pulled his sister from the forest floor, the dead leaves and twigs clung to her pants.  
"It's letting us go Molly!" he explained. "At least I think it is…"  
He pulled his twin sisters arm, and she followed, a limp in her stride.

Grovyle watched them go, knowing that they had meant no harm and were injured.  
Still he was curious as to why two young humans were out in this part of the forest, he turned his eyes scanning the path they had made through the foliage.  
He stood there, thinking things over. Then he took off bounding through the trees and shrubs with sheer agility no other Pokémon could ever hope to have.

Maximus threw the fist sized rock as hard as he could at the hollow of a Pine tree.  
The rock missed, cutting its way through the morning air and coming to a stop somewhere behind its original target.  
He picked up a stone, half the size of the rock and also threw it, this one however was a more successful shot. It landed right in the hollow, but instead of the expected 'THUNK' of wood on stone it gave off an unusually quiet 'THUD'.

Totodile looked at the hollow intensely, as if daring something to jump out at them.  
Still watching it carefully, she followed her trainer over to the base of the tree.

Maximus tried to see inside by standing on the tips of his toes, but he just wasn't tall enough.  
Instead he tried scaling the trees grainy bark, but he found nothing he could use to hold himself up.

"Okay, Totodile I'll lift you up there, then see what's in there for me. Okay?" he said still looking intently at the hollow.  
He lifted the little Pokémon up as high as he could, then finally with some effort from Totodile and a lot of loose bark hitting him in the forehead, she was up.  
Maximus slid back down the trunk relaxing his muscles, then looked back up at the hollow.

Totodile blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, and then she was amazed by what she saw. A bag sat before her, she grabbed one of the straps in her powerful jaws and pulled the bag out slowly, Maximus grabbed her around the waist and helped her out the rest of the way.  
He lifted the bag into the sunlight and smiled, for what he saw was none other than his older brother's bag.


	2. Chapter 2: Ill Intentions

_True Friendships cannot be broken…_

**Chapter 2: Ill Intentions**

Maximus opened the recently acquired bag, which contained the usual gear of a traveling Pokémon trainer.

The odd assortment of potions and other healing items, he even found an old wrist bound PokéGear.

Carefully removing the device from its home, pressing a button on the outer ring activated the device and he saw the various options, or cards in the case of the PokéGear, he could choose from.

He tapped a flashing camera icon with his index finger, and selected it. This opened a small window that started to playback a recorded video.

The image was grainy and not up to modern-day technology standards, but still was clear enough for the trainer to know that it was a recording of his brother.

"To whom ever finds my gear, I guess that I never made it back from my job." Trent started casually.

"I have been searching high and low for one of the special objects known as Mutation Stones." He continued giving himself on a moment to inhale.

"I managed to track at least one of the stones to this forest, but I encountered a group of people in jet black outfits who were also searching for the stones. I must confirm this before I take any serious action though." He paused leaning over.

"Since I obviously haven't collected my gear, I would like you to notify my family, and tell them that I love them and also-" suddenly Trent's video was cut off and replaced by flashing green and blue.

Maximus could hear labored breathing and realized that this must be Trent running through the forest, the green was obviously the leaves on the Pine trees.

"Those men, they were after the Mutation stone, I stole it from them when I overheard some of their conversation." Trent said breathlessly as the blur of trees slowed to a stop, his face came into view and Maximus realized with a shock that it was covered with bruises and bloody scratches.

"I cannot let them use the stone, it would mean the end to of our world… I must either destroy it or find a way to hide it." Trent continued, the background started moving once more. Voices crying out for the 'thief' to stop or they'd have to harm him.

There was a flash of red light followed by a cry belonging to the Pokémon Cranidos.

"Run Cranidos! Get far away from here, GO!" Trent ordered, panic layering his voice.

There was an explosion and more shouting followed by a cry of pain. Trent must have turned to see his pursuers because Maximus caught sight of a small airtight box.

The video suddenly stopped, tiny text in the corner of the screen declared that the video had reached its maximum length.

During all of this, Totodile had watched her trainer as he watched a video that answered many of his questions, but making him understand even less than before.

She knew that if she did not interact with him, he would surely break down in tears.

She approached her trainer cautiously…

Sunlight shone through gaps in the Pine canopy, casting a heavenly glow upon the small shrubs and Ratatta that scurried between hiding places.

The Grovyle was perched on a sturdy limb leaves from the branch above helped to hide him from anything or anyone that scanned the trees.

His sharp yellow eyes took in the sight before him.

The clearing was like a Beedrills hive, except there was no sign of any Beedrill only humans dressed in black clothing.

The humans somehow seemed familiar to Grovyle, although he could not recall seeing them before. He itched to interfere in their little project, he had never liked humans messing with the forest and he was almost certain that they weren't the average Pokémon trainers.

He watched as they swarmed over some form of machinery that performed some unknown task, his gaze shifted towards the other side of the clearing.

A tent of decent size had been erected and no less than five humans stood about it, forming a perimeter of sorts.

His form hidden within the foliage of Pine Grovyle continued gazing at the clearing, knowing that if he was to do something about it he was likely going to be caught.

Silently he watched, waiting for the chance to set his plan in motion.

Maximus held onto Totodile's small but sturdy form, thinking of the video that had confirmed his fears.

His brother had not just left them, something had happened to him all because he had to play the 'hero'.

"To Toto DIIILE!" Totodile stated, her voice mostly muffled by Maximus's black outer shirt. Although he couldn't understand what she had said, he caught on to what she had been thinking.

Sighing he released his tight grip upon his partner who gasped for air, in an attempt to prevent herself from passing out.

She looked up at her trainer, the human she loved so much she would go to the ends of the earth for. She didn't know what else to do that would raise his spirits again.

Had they really come all this way just so he could break down here and now?

She wanted to cry herself, but for his sake she held it in. Crying in front of him now wouldn't help anyone.

Maximus's gaze was averted to the sky, watching the clouds.

"_We'll find him."_

Suddenly he jumped to his feet, staring down at Totodile. Had Totodile just spoken, or was it his desperate imagination?

Grovyle inspected the smooth metallic surface of the machines.

There were few openings upon their lower parts, but he spotted some exposed circuitry above him.

Thinking of how idiotic these trespassers were, he quickly and easily scaled the machine; his sharp claws slicing into the metal for grip.

His wrist foliage glowed a vivid lime, forming a single blade, quivering with energy. With a powerful forward slash he struck the circuits; sparks scattering everywhere as a hissing sound indicated that he had sliced some sort of compressed air tube.

He vaulted off the machine, landing on the soft grass below, and was blown back as the device blew apart. This started a chain reaction of explosions, and one to his left startled him.

He jumped back up and sprinted towards the safety of the trees - only to be blocked by three humans holding Pokéballs.

"Hey! Just where do you think your going?" the one on the left said.

"Yeah! You don't just mess with our stuff and run off." the one on the right said.

The center human said nothing; glaring at Grovyle he pressed the button on his Pokéball.

A vivid beam of red light emitted from the device and splashed upon the ground before the human.

The read beam faded and a Scyther rose up, displaying his vicious blades.

The Scyther's hard exoskeleton reflected some of the moonlight giving it a pale aura, its deadly curved blades glinting in the light.

Its eyes reflected pain and suffering, Grovyle suspected these came from its trainer most likely.

He didn't want to fight a Pokémon that was forced against its will, but it seemed as if it would end up that way.

"Fury Cutter, Scyther." The man drawled.

Scyther hesitated then rushed at Grovyle, as he came within reach he slashed viciously at the green raptor.

Grovyle jumped to the side and brought his own blades upon Scyther's back, slamming it into the ground.

Then, while the dust hid him from the humans he retreated to the safety of the trees.

Maximus sat before Totodile; his legs crossed.

"I'm sure I understood you," he muttered more to himself than to Totodile.

"To diile toto, diiiiile." She answered.

"I'm not crazy… At least I hope I'm not – what do you think Totodile?" he ended.

Totodile promptly shook her head, her eyes glittering in the sunlight.

Maximus sighed then stood up stretching his arms.

"I don't think it was you though… I think it was me. I-I understood you." He paused making sure that Totodile was listening.

"I understood what you said, that has to be what happened." He finished.

By pure chance, Maximus looked up, just in time to see smoke rising from the forest.

"That doesn't look like a flash fire, maybe a Pokemon battle though." He said aloud.

Maximus scooped Totodile up in his arms and ran straight for the source of the smoke, not really thinking about whether he should. He was doing it out of desire to see another human face.


	3. Chapter 3: Reunion

-Page 1-

Trusting is a key part of friendships…

**Chapter 3: Reunion**

Maximus stopped at the edge of the clearing, dumbfounded.

Before him was a scene resembling that of a stirred Beedrills nest.

The clearing was crawling with men and women in jet-black outfits, darting between complicated looking machines, two of which were damaged; smoke billowed from their exposed circuitry.

He caught sight of a green and red blur making a bee-line for the safety of the trees.

Curious he ran towards the area the blur was headed towards, in hope of catching sight of what it was.

Maximus turned his head just in time, the blur leaped from the ground, onto a branch and this gave him a perfect view of its form.

It was a Grovyle, a fit and tough one by the looks of it.

"HEY!" Maximus yelled out to it, hoping it would stop.

The Groyvle's muscles were coiled, ready to push it off in the direction of the branch ahead, if it was necessary.

It turned its head, glaring at Maximus as if he were a disease.

"Did you do that?" he asked not taking his eyes off of the Grovyle.

Lifting Totodile to his shoulder, he stepped forward, slowly with his palms out to show that he meant no harm.

The Grovyle shifted his body, now it faced Maximus, fearless piercing eyes cut through the air as it glared at Totodile, who was still perched on Maximus's shoulder.

Maximus stopped approaching the Pokémon, and waited for an answer. The Grovyle said and did nothing however.

Finally deciding to take the initiative Maximus asked again if the Grovyle was the cause of the destruction in the clearing.

Slowly the Grovyle nodded its head, keeping its eyes on Maximus and Totodile the whole time.

Totodile jumped down, off of Maximus's shoulder. Landing on the dead leaves and twigs that composed the forest floor.

She motioned towards the clearing, her tone was serious as she talked.

"To todiii toto diiiiiiiiiile, dile to!" she said before yanking her partners hand indicating she wanted him to follow.

Maximus started to turn but stopped when he heard a soft thud, as the Grovyle dropped to the ground.

The Groyvle thrust its arm out, pointing at Totodile, snarling at her. Maximus looked down at Totodile, who seemed to be repeating herself.

The Grovyle stepped up to Maximus, staring at him. Maximus shuffled uneasily, if a fight broke out Totodile would loose before he could issue an attack.

Taking a step back, he grabbed Totodile on the way. Who seemed to be quite interested in Grovyle all of a sudden.

The Grovyle made no move to stop Maximus, he just watched silently with a strange look on his reptilian face.

Totodile on the other-hand was squirming out of Maximus's grasp, desperate to continue the Pokémon's conversation.

Maximus struggled to hold onto his partner, but to no avail she slid out from under his arms and rushed towards the Grovyle babbling away like a Chatot.

"Err, Totodile… what are you doing?" Maximus asked quite nervously, as his heart pounded away in his chest.

There was a pause, filled with silence, not a sound to be heard except for the people in the clearing; then she spoke.

"It's Trent!" She said excitedly.

"Mum? MUM!?"

"What!? Jason is that you?" a voice cried, from a room in the back of the house.

Jason helped his younger sister, Molly into an armchair before their mother literally strangled him in a hug.

"Where were you? I was worried sick!" She sobbed, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

"We got lost in Ocre Forest, and saw some-" Molly stopped mid-sentence.

Their mother spun around and looked down at her daughter. "Some what?"

"Men dressed in black suits, they hurt Molly and beat up Marill." Jason finished.

"How did you get away?" Their mother asked, bending over to comfort her daughter who had started to cry.

"Starly and I fought them off, I bit one and Starly tackled the other, then we ran." Jason answered.

"I'm just glad you're safe… Oh no." his mother started.

"What-hic-is it mum?" Molly asked hiccoughing.

"I asked a Pokémon Trainer to find you two… He must still be looking for you!" Their mother said, standing up.

She walked over to the phone hanging on the living room wall, and called the Police precinct in town.

"Hello?" A young female asked.

"This is Mrs. Draven, I need to talk to Officer Jenny." Mrs. Draven said quickly.

"Hang on I'll patch you through." There was a brief moment where static came through the line and then a voice clipped in.

"Mrs. Draven?"

"Officer Jenny? Oh thank goodness you're there." Mrs. Draven said, her nerves were on edge.

"What's wrong? Did Jason and Molly return?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Oh they're home safe and sound, but I'm afraid the Trainer I asked to find them hasn't returned, nor have the children seen him." She stated, a worried tone in her voice.

"Hmm, I'll go and see if I can find anything. See you Mrs. Draven." Officer Jenny promised before hanging up.

Jenny rose from her chair; checking her PokéBeeper for tasks and sighed.

The Trainer that Mrs. Draven had sent to search for her kids was a son of two famous Pokémon trainers, both had competed in the Indigo and Hoenn Tournaments and had ranked in the top 5, and then had taken the Elite-4 challenge.

They were well known, but on the way home from the Seraph League there had been a natural Landslide, and Mrs. Cootes had sacrificed herself for her husband.

The poor man was left without a wife and was paralyzed from the waist down and his right arm.

He returned to his children in LilyGrove, who had been cared for by Professor Elton, the leading Pokémon researcher of the Seraph region.

And apparently the youngest son, Maximus, had gone into a deep depression.

The professor seemed to coax him out of his shell once more, and had become personally involved with the family. She supplied the family with money if Trent couldn't and even took Mr. Cootes on strolls in the surrounding woods in her spare time.

There were rumors that Trent had gone abroad with a task from the professor. He had not returned home since, and was apparently last seen near Ocre Forest.

People that had met Trent whilst he was abroad claimed that he had a heart of gold. He had helped others with their problems here and there, and had even fought off a gang of thieves known as Team Rocket.

Jenny walked out of her office, and announced that she needed a deputy to accompany her. Immediately a young male of 19 years snapped to attention.

"Officer Jenny Ma'am, It'd be an honor if I could accompany you." He said eagerly.

Jenny scanned the room for other candidates, and then she sighed.

"Okay Norbert, as long as you don't do anything stupid." She said.

The Deputy eased up and nodded "Yes Ma'am."

"And haven't I told you before I'd prefer you call me by my name, and not "Ma'am"." She said, exhausted from their brief conversation.

She turned and walked towards the glass front doors, which promptly slid open as she passed through them into the street.

Maximus's mouth opened and closed like a beached Magikarps. Everytime he attempted to speak, no words would come to mind.

After all this time searching had he really found his older brother?

'Sure he might be a Grovyle, but he'd still be Trent on the inside… right?' he thought.

Totodile still stood between her trainer and the Grovyle that claimed to be Trent. She too was at a loss for words, having only managed to speak to Maximus before lapsing into a deep silence.

Maximus took an unsteady step towards Trent, still unsure if this was a crazy dream or a hallucination of sorts. Then he tripped on a rock he hadn't noticed, throwing him towards the startled Trent, who thrust his arms out and caught Maximus.

All was silent for a minute, and then Maximus burst out laughing.

"It really is you Trent!" He managed to say between bursts of laughter.

Trent smiled, looking down at his younger brother, whom he had thought long ago he would never see again.

Trent helped Maximus back onto his feet, and then poked the PokéGear strapped to Maximus's wrist. "Gro… Vyle?" he said.

Maximus undid the catch on the the PokéGear he had found in Trents bag, and handed the Gear over to his brother, who promptly took it and started sifting through the files. Trent started to push the screen harder and harder until Maximus took the Gear back before it could be damaged.

Poor Trent. Thought Maximus, as he watched his brother exhale and inhale.

Trents claws were slightly too big for the device, and he hadn't been able to navigate the PokéGear properly. This had frustrated him greatly.

Totodile jumped up and scrambled onto Maximus's shoulder, peering down at the screen, she watched as Maximus navigated through a list of what seemed to be journals.

She looked up at Trent "What are they?" she asked curiously.

"Weekly entries to my journal, about my progress on the Mutation stone search." He answered quietly.

Maximus took no notice of the conversation, he didn't understand any of it anyway, and instead he immersed himself in a journal entry.

Trent started to go through Maximus's bag, checking what supplies his younger much more hotheaded brother had decided he could bring with him.

Inside the bags numerous pockets he found two Super-Potions, a Full Heal, Food to last at least five days for two and some sleeping gear.

'Atleast he wasn't cocky, and brought some healing items.' Trent thought.

Maximus, upon finishing the journal entry turned around to face his brother, now he had to look down instead of up, and this felt awkward.

"So... you found a… Mutation stone didn't you?" he asked, excitement lacing his voice.

"I stole it from the thugs, yes." Trent said calmly.

"Well we can take it back to-" Trent cut off Maximus, "No, the stone transfigured me, and was destroyed in the process." He said with a hint of sadness.

Totodile had been wondering why Trent had not questioned her partners ability to understand Pokémon. Luckily it seemed Trent was a step ahead and asked Maximus himself.

"How can you understand me and your Totodile?" he asked curiously.

"I dunno." Maxiumus explained, "It started happening when I found your Bag and PokéGear."

Trent nodded, indicating that Maximus could continue.

"But I only seem to be able to do it when I'm emotionally worked up." Maximus finished.

Trent was silent, thinking of ways such an ability could have been acquired. Finally he shrugged, giving up on the topic and started to leave.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Maximus called out.

"Home… Are you coming?" Trent asked.


	4. Chapter 4: The simple life

-Page 1-

It is said, that if one were to harness the power of Orda they would have total control of all the elements, but if the wielder of such power had a heart full of greed the world would fall into chaos awaiting the champion of justice to free Orda's soul...

**Chapter 4: The simple life**

"Professor?"

The professor looked up from the book she had intended to study, annoyed by the interruption. Finally giving in, she closed it and turned to the source of the distraction. "What is it, Marx?" she asked, as she rose from her chair.

"Um…well...there was a message left on the phone for you. Something about Maximus." Marx shoved his hands into his lab coat's deep pockets, slightly worried what the professor's reaction would be. Without responding to him, Elton walked around the teak desk and made her way to the phone, dialing Platrai City's police department. First Trent, and now his younger brother… something odd is going on in that forest...

"This is Professor Elton, and I'd like to speak with Officer Jenny," she stated as patiently as she could after the receptionist picked up. "Is she in?"

"I'm afraid she's left with Deputy Norbert… Would you like to leave a message?" the receptionist replied politely.

"No, thank you, but could you perhaps give me her PokéBeeper's ID?"

"Hang on a moment, Professor. I need to find them." Elton waited, listening to the sound of papers being shuffled and a drawer being opened. "Ah, here it is."

The Professor wrote the ID down and thanked the receptionist before hanging the phone up. She unclipped her own PokéBeeper from its slot on her belt, and tapped an icon in the upper left corner.

As she sent her message to Officer Jenny, Marx was preparing the lab for the three young visitors that had recently registered as official Pokémon trainers. Sighing, he placed the six new Pokéballs on a desk; making a mental note of which one had which species of Pokémon in it.

Finally, Professor Elton put her PokéBeeper away and turned to Marx, speaking calmly. "I'm going to Patrai City for a while."

"WHAT!?" Marx cried.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you can handle the trainers, and keep an eye on the Pokémon out back." Professor Elton stated plainly as she took off her lab coat.

"Err… um… well…okay..." Marx said in a defeated tone.

The Professor turned, walking through some rooms and out the lab's back door into the garden; where some Eevees playing tag stopped to watch her curiously.

She called for her Salamence, and watched him glide over the trees. He landed gracefully in the small area; lowering himself so the Professor could mount him. Then they took off into the dimming sky, and faded into the horizon.

Maximus grunted - climbing the tree was a lot harder than it had looked. Trent, however, scaled it effortlessly, making it seem as easy as walking. This didn't improve Maximus's attitude towards the task at hand, but instead of saying one of the smart comments that floated around in his mind, he clenched his teeth and grabbed the next branch.

Totodile trembled, as she wasn't the kind of Pokémon that spent her time in the air – she much preferred solid ground or shallow water. She clung onto Maximus's bag, and turned to watch Trent.

Maximus started to reach for the next branch, but felt claws instead. Looking up he saw Trent's face only a meter away. Taking the outstretched claws, he pushed off of the branch he had been standing on, and let Trent drag him up onto the much wider branch above.

The two fell back and lay there, gasping for breath. Finally, Maximus sat up, and looked around his surroundings, surprised at how high up they were. The sky was dimming, and red laced the horizon as the sun set, casting a ruddy glow upon the forest and mountains. All of the lakes and rivers sparkled in the dusky light, adding to the beauty.

Maximus felt Totodile's claws dig into his shoulder as she moved up to see what he was looking at. Immediately, her claws relaxed as she took in the view.

"It-Its amazing," Maximus murmured.

"Thought you might think so." Trent replied, stepping up beside him.

"And you've lived here ever since… ever since you 'disappeared?'" Maximus continued. Trent nodded, still watching the forest below.

Totodile spotted a flock of Taillow flying high above them. She watched them until they disappeared over the mountains, heading towards distant lands unknown. She continued to stare off in the direction they had gone, when she suddenly spotted another dark figure in the sky.

"Hey, look!" The little Pokémon grinned in excitement.

"What is it?" Maximus asked. Totodile pointed towards the figure, which was definitely growing bigger.

Maximus watched the dot as it approached, and then he realized what it was.

"That's a Salamence!" he exclaimed.

Trent looked up, also observing it. "And there seems to be someone on its back."

Maximus squinted, barely able to make out a small lump on the Salamence's back. It was heading towards Patrai City.

Trent turned around, his mind racing. I'm sure the Professor has a Salamence, but what would she be doing down here? He looked over his shoulder at Maximus, who was still watching the Salamence with Totodile. Maybe she heard about Maximus entering Ocre forest? After all, nothing escapes her...

Totodile suddenly broke the silence with a yawn. "Sorry," she said, with an embarrassed tone.

Maximus laughed. "I guess you're hungry, too. Come on, let's eat before bed." He slid his bag off his back and rummaged around inside it, finally protruding a snap-lock bag of pasties. He handed one to Totodile and offered a second to Trent, who reluctantly took the human food - it had been a long time since he had eaten something like this; having lived off fruit and the occasional mushroom since his 'disappearance.'

Maximus bit down on his own cold pastie, chewing thoughtfully he watched Totodile take a bite out of hers. Unlike a lot of other members of her species, she calmly took her time with her food, rather than stuffing herself full as fast as she could. Additionally, she had never bitten Maximus, like many Totodile were known to do. She had always been different, and she never seemed to fit in with others of her species.

Totodile swallowed the last piece of her pastie, and turned her attention to Trent, who seemed to be having trouble with his. She watched as he took his first bite, reluctantly chewed it, and then swallowed. She surmised his unusual behavior related to not having eaten human food for years; but she still found the experience quite odd and awkward.

Maximus yawned and took off his jacket, folding it up into a makeshift pillow. Lying back, he allowed his body to relax. Totodile curled up next to him, and become still.

Trent, however, sat with his back on the trunk of the tree, and he watched his younger brother slowly give into sleep; finally deciding that he should sleep, too. He closed his eyes, and waited for sleep to take over.

He had read the tablets over and over for the past week now. Why, why did they force him to continue reading them when there was no secret puzzle hidden beneath the ancient runes? Rubbing his eyes, he shifted the view port to the next tablet in hope of seeing something he had not noticed before.

"Artemis, report!" A voice called out over a P.A. system.

"Sir, I can't find anything. There's nothing else on these blasted tablets!" Artemis cried out in frustration and fear.

There was some cursing, and the sound of a chair scraping across concrete. Artemis started to panic, this meant that a superior was coming, and he was terrified of the brutes. He had watched helplessly as they forced their already tortured Pokémon to attack other scientists that failed or refused to work.

He jumped up from his chair, whirling around to face whoever came in. He would much rather be taken down from the front than from behind.

A man younger than Artemis burst through the doors, brandishing his Pokéball threateningly. Artemis cringed as he noticed the big aqua _5_ emblazoned on the captain's jacket; it was just his luck that he got one of the cruelest captains of the eight.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT, YOU RAT!" the captain bellowed.

"I-I'm sorry sir, but its-" the captain cut Artemis off. "NO DAMNED EXCUSES! I'M GOING TO MAKE Y-"

"Enough Beckar, leave the man alone. If he found nothing the first few times, I'm sure he wouldn't find anything the next hundred." A voice said from behind the captain.

Whatever hope Artemis had of being saved from the captain's wrath had evaporated. Nex stood there watching the two men, dressed in her dark outfit which was composed of black pants, a dark shirt and a jet black jacket with a symbol that apparently represented the fourteen elements. Nex was the leader of the entire project going on here; she was the one that commanded the Captains and the Grunts of Team Oblivion.

Artemis stood perfectly still, scared that he might do something stupid otherwise.

Nex walked up and looked at the tired researcher's notes as she picked them up, nodding and seeming quite satisfied

"Hmm, take him to Stage 3, Captain Beckar, and for the love of Arceus don't harm him." Nex said as she left the room.

Becker let out a breath, and then turned on the researcher.

"Come. But no questions, and if you open your mouth I'll shut it for you."

Artemis nodded; he didn't want to annoy the captain any more than he already had.

As Beckar left, Artemis followed silently wondering what was in Stage 3.

Maximus stood up and stretched. He felt quite refreshed; in fact he not felt this good in months. A sudden yawn startled him, and he looked down at Totodile, smiling.

"Morning, Totodile!" he said quite cheerfully as he looked around, scanning the branches for his brother, whom he finally spotted higher up.

Maximus spent the morning watching the forest that thinned out further to the south. He watched as flocks of bird-type Pokémon flitted from clearing to clearing, and to lakes. He even spotted a lone Tyranitar at the foot of Mt. Glace, stripping a bush of its fruit.

Trent, meanwhile, had sat on his branch, deep in thought. Those humans dressed in black struck him as familiar, yet he couldn't remember them from anywhere.

Suddenly Maximus's cry broke his line of thought, "Hey! Aren't those the guys from the clearing yesterday?"

Trent dropped down from his branch and followed Maximus's finger with his keen eyes, spotting a group of what appeared to be five humans dressed in jet black outfits.

"Yes they are," he said, quite vividly remembering that poor Scyther he had attacked.

Totodile bounced up and down, "Oh! Let's go see what they're doing!" she said.

Maximus nodded, grabbing his bag and walking over to the trunk of the tree.

Trent marveled at the way both Maximus and Totodile had decided that the thugs meant trouble – but then again, Maximus had always been good at judging people with a glance. The trio made their way down the tree; it went much faster than going up had. Then, they set off towards the mysterious group.

"Oh! Professor, you came!"

"Of course I did, Jenny. I sent Trent out on an errand that led him here; now, Maximus has found his way here too. Its my fault if anything happens to him, and I wanted to make sure he's safe myself." The professor stated as she dismounted her Salamence.

Deputy Norbert glanced nervously at the Dragon Pokémon; he had never quite gotten used to its immense size and raw power. The professor recalled the dragon into its Pokéball, and placed the ball on her belt.

The three adults made their way towards the log cabin that separated the main path and Ocre forest. Stepping up to the door, Officer Jenny knocked.

There was some shuffling, a grunt of disapproval, and then the door opened.

"What is-" The warden stopped, totally stunned by the sight before him. "P-Pr-Professor Elton? What are you doing here?"

"That's my business" she replied politely before stepping inside. Officer Jenny and Norbert stepped in behind the professor and followed her to the back door. Elton tried the handle, but the door was locked. "Key?" she asked the warden.

The short man hobbled up and unlocked the door for her, pulling it open so they could pass.

The professor drew in a deep breath, tasting the forest air.

She had always preferred fieldwork to a lab room. She longed to travel as she did when she was younger.

As the group followed the path, the professor treated herself with her memories of when she had first received her Bagon. He had only just hatched and her father had been quite enthusiastic about giving Abigale her first Pokémon.

She had only been nine years old; too young to be an official trainer, but she still had played and battled with the hatchling.

Officer Jenny was keeping a lookout for any sign of Maximus she could find. A difficult task, but she knew that of the three of them, she was the best for the job.

Norbert kept his hand on his partner Pokémon's Pokéball; he was on edge and expected a wild Ursaring or worse to attack at any given moment.

They silently marched through the forest, eventually veering off the main path and heading north towards the base of Mt. Glace.


End file.
